San Jose homicide suspect found dead of apparent suicide

A San Jose man police had been searching for since Friday in connection with his wife's killing was found dead of an apparent suicide in San Benito County on Saturday.

The body of 50-year-old Troy Edward Nosenzo was discovered inside his parked vehicle on Highway 129, west of Highway 101, shortly after 1 p.m. after an investigation led officers to search for him in that area, according to San Jose police Sgt. Jason Dwyer.

"It appears to be a suicide," he said. "We believe that he probably took sleeping pills."

Dwyer said the final determination of the cause of Nosenzo's death will have to be made by the Santa Clara County Medical Examiner.

Nosenzo's wife was found just before 8 a.m. Friday in the entryway of the couple's South San Jose home in the 6100 block of Evangeline Drive. Police still have not formally named her, but public records identify her as Patricia Annette Nosenzo, 54.

Authorities did not release details of how she was killed, and the circumstances surrounding the homicide are still under investigation.

Police said after receiving a 911 hang-up call from the home at 5:38 a.m. Friday, they tried calling back with no success. They didn't immediately check the home because they said the nature of the call was unclear and they had other pressing matters at the time, including nearby auto thefts and a car that had crashed into a home.

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When officers did arrive at the Nosenzo house, they were further delayed by two aggressive dogs in the front yard, forcing them to summon an animal-control official before they could enter the residence. They found the front door unlocked and the victim on the ground. Police then began searching for her husband.

It was the city's 41st homicide this year. That surpasses last year's total and puts the city on a course to exceed the 43 killings recorded in 1997, a 20-year record high.